As the World Falls
by Iceestar
Summary: The lands of Zaron are in chaos, stuck in a war between the elven and human kingdoms the world is being torn apart. The only ones who can help stop it are a lord of death and an assassin.


Balanced on a tree branch, the assassin watched from above as the elves worked quickly around the lake, magic permeating the air as incantations were muttered and elves worked. The High Jew Elf himself had even come, working beside the lake and directing the elves efforts. It seemed these days everyone was trying to get the Stick back, but some for far more sinister reasons than others.

A quiet laugh left his mouth at the thought. There he was, an assassin, a spy, a traitor and he was the only one trying to get the Stick for a reason other than to wipe out kingdoms of people.

It'd been years since the legendary New Kid had been seen and even longer since that the war between the elves and the humans ceased to stop the Dark Lord Necromancer. He almost wished those times were back even though it turned out he was on the losing side of the treaty between the elves and the humans. Now all that existed was fighting and war and he was the only one trying to stop it without wiping out an entire side of the fight.

It was odd that a thief, a spy, an assassin, would want to keep the entire world from burning, but Craig Feldspar was an odd man.

Watching the work of the elves, Craig tried to figure out what they were doing that worked well and what was going wrong. Both the elves and the humans came to the lake to try and retrieve the Stick and they were getting closer every day which was why Craig always made sure to be there, watching. If one group successfully did retrieve the Stick, Craig was going to steal it and if neither group could get it out of the lake then Craig was going to get it out himself. Craig had tried a few other times to get the stick and wasn't sure how to do it.

Powerful magic surrounded the lake due to the ones involved in sealing the Stick within it. The High Jew Elf was one and the Grand Wizard was another. The two of them had already removed and undone their magic over the lake in an effort to retrieve the Stick, the issue was the fact that there was a third person who had used his magic on the lake. King Douchebag, the New Kid, had been a great and powerful mage and by his power the lake had been sealed forever against those trying to reach the Stick.

If not for the fact that Craig had seen King Douchebag's power with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it was possible, but it'd happened. No one had seen King Douchebag in years, he was nothing but a legend at that point. Just like peace was a legend.

The good news was that there was a way Craig knew to get to the Stick he just had to wait for the elves and the humans to clear out so he could try again. There were after all, two challenges to getting the Stick. The first and most obvious one lied in the fact that the lake was protected by magic, but the second one that no one but Craig knew was the fact that to get to the Stick one had to swim far far into the water and retrieve it by hand. Craig had been working almost every night he could to build up the stamina to get the Stick and he was close… so close.

Strange right? That the swimming part was causing Craig trouble and not the magic, but well Craig had found the secret to getting past King Douchebag's magic. It'd happened when he, Token, and Tweek first tried to get the Stick. Token was a notable cleric so he of course offered prayer and offerings to the gods and Tweek with his connection to nature spoke with some of the Nymphs that lived within the woods near the lake. Craig had just sat by the lake and tried to figure out what its secrets were. After all, Craig was a spy, he was good at finding out secrets. Not that he really found out this secret it was really revealed to him more than anything else.

While sitting and waiting for Token and Tweek to give their assessments about the magic, a deer had come by not thinking itself to be in danger because of how still Craig was. The deer was able to walk to the water and drink from it without any ramifications which was odd because every time Craig'd watched the elves and the humans they would get hurt if they touched the water, but the deer was able to just walk up and drink.

Standing quickly, Craig had watched the deer run off before moving forward and touching the water. A little bit later Craig had woken up to Token kneeling above him and feeling his pulse. A few days later of wondering what had happened, Craig had remembered a dream he'd had when he was passed out and while he hadn't shared it with anyone else, Craig knew he could get the stick after that.

So there Craig was, waiting up in the trees for the elves to clear out or get driven away when the human inevitably made their rounds through the area and then Craig would go back to camp, get Token and Tweek and try to make the dive again. Token and Tweek were there because Craig would tie a rope around himself in case something happened while he was down there or couldn't come back up fast enough. Token and Tweek would be able to pull him out. Plus even though they only attempted to get the Stick at night, Craig was worried that the humans or elves might come back and considering the fact that they were all traitors to the kingdoms they'd once belonged to, Craig didn't really want to get caught by them. Three tugs on the rope signaled to Craig he needed to come up out of the lake quickly.

The elves seemed to finish up with their experiments and attempts which was good because Craig wanted to move from his sitting position on the tree. Despite what Nymphs would have one believe, trees were not all that comfortable to be in for long periods of time. Standing up quickly and silently Craig stretched a little bit from his vantage point before freezing.

Marshwalker walked by sniffing at the air and scanning the ground. Craig feared the day he was stupid enough to get caught by Marshwalker given the fact that the man raised by wolves seemed to have a cruel streak to those he considered a threat and Craig knew that his sense of smell was good enough to be able to pick up people hiding away. It was why Craig made sure to use a scentless soap and wash his clothing with a similar soap, but maybe his standing had made a noise he hadn't realized and Marshwalker's sense of smell was the best way to find a hidden enemy.

Glancing around and trying to calm the quick pace of his heart, Craig tried to figure out an escape route if he was discovered. He'd already figured out a fast and easy way to get back to the camp, but if he were spotted he'd need to lead them away from the camp. Spotting his way out, Craig slowly and carefully raised his arms until his hands grasped the branch above him. By swinging on that one to a different tree getting away would've been easy.

Fortunately, Marshwalker, ever the loyal dog, was called back by the High Jew Elf and they went along their way without discovering they were being watched. Kyle probably assumed that if it were the humans watching them they would have attacked already and Craig didn't really care if that assumption was right or wrong just that it had saved him from being discovered.

Looking around at the ground, Craig nodded slightly to himself. He would make another dive that night.

On his way back to camp, Craig paused at a familiar dark building. It was in ruin and plant life had taken over. No animals passed by it or flew over it, perhaps due to the events that had happened there. To most the building would look sinister, one to avoid and speak of in harsh whispers, but to Craig it held memories he wanted to hold in his mind until he finally got the stick.

" _Craig! Look at it. I finally finished building it and now you and I can have real power instead of having to serve the Wizard or the Jew. You can fight for me and have power. And it's all because of the stick. We can have power and fight back now and once we're done the wars will stop. There won't have to be any fighting anymore because of the stick. Isn't it great?"_

Craig could still hear Clyde's voice in his mind. The joy and excitement that resonated in every fiber of his body. A kind of excitement Craig himself couldn't replicate, but one that he could experience through his friend feeling it. Smiling slightly, Craig sat on a tree branch and look at that dark building that would end up being their downfall. He could still remember Clyde's hushed whispers first talking to him about rebelling against the Wizard and the Jew. He could remember the determination of Clyde and the determination that was mirrored in his own mind.

Staring at the building, Craig sighed softly and wondered what would have happened if they hadn't been stopped. After all it'd been obvious that Clyde had gone too far, Craig knew that much. He wondered if Clyde would have stopped or caused the entire world to burn in death and misery. A part of Craig wanted to believe that he would have been able to stop Clyde if he went too far, that he would have been able to steer Clyde back the right way.

Unfortunately Craig wasn't that good of a person. He knew that he would have selfishly let Clyde do whatever he wanted to so long as Craig felt important and needed.

At least now that Clyde was gone, Craig had to be a better person. The fighting wasn't over and Craig still wanted it to stop. Almost everyone he knew had been hurt by the fighting, torn in between the fighting and war. Craig knew that issue well, he knew what it was like to be caught in between this war of humans and elves and to have it rip ones very family and existence apart.

Craig's slightly pointed ears were a testament to getting stuck in between after all.

Tearing his eyes away from the building, Craig carefully tried to ignore the memories threatening to wash over him like a flood and knock him away from his goals. He had to keep moving and keep going. He needed to remember that the memories weren't the only place he would see Clyde. He was going to get his friend back and this time they would keep from getting corrupted. After all, Craig planed on putting the stick right back where it'd come from once Clyde was back. Craig knew it was too much power for one being to have.

Leaving quickly, Craig continued the short way back to the camp he'd set up. He needed to check on things there and wait for a while before going to the lake to dive again since he needed it to be dark before he tried again.

Craig arrived at the camp quickly and looked around at the small group of tents circling an open area. They moved often enough so it was expected for everyone to be on alert and ready to move at a moment's notice. Each and every person who lived there were considered traitors to their respective kingdoms. Each of them had defected from a kingdom and left, deciding that they would rather run than fight for the rest of their lives. Craig was happy to accept them there.

A young girl walked up to him, sword strapped to her hip and a scowl to match his own on her face. "Craig! I thought I told you not to scout out the lake during the day after you almost got attacked last time."

Only one girl in the entire camp was allowed to talk to Craig like that without him getting pissed and that person was his younger sister, Ruby. Great with both a sword and a bow and there to keep Craig from doing anything too stupid, Craig valued his younger sister being there to help. Not that he'd let her know that.

A rude gesture was his response to her angry expression. "I came back in one piece didn't I? What good is a spy who's not allowed to spy on people?"

Ruby just crossed her arms and Craig rolled his eyes knowing she was going to let him have it. "You're not just a spy right now you're supposed to be here leading everyone. It was your idea to abandon the two kingdoms and form our own group to stop the war between humans and elves and therefore it's your job to make sure everyone's safe and on board with it which is impossible if you keep disappearing all day. I know you expect to get Clyde back so you can have him lead again, but until that happens you are the leader so suck it the fuck up and do it."

Craig shook his head and waved her off, trying to calm the immediate rage he felt at the mention of Clyde from another's mouth. It still angered him what happened to Clyde, still pissed him off that Clyde wasn't there anymore. But who cared? Clyde was coming back soon and Craig was making sure of it.

"I need to go make sure Tweek and Token are ready for tonight's dive," Craig said, using that as an excuse to avoid the conversation and move along without having to listen to her lecture him more. Though he did take her words into mind. Craig didn't know who would take over if he died or was captured. A part of him assumed it would fall to Ruby, but he knew that as a young girl not enough people would respect her enough to actually follow her into a battle.

Ruby watched Craig go for a moment, before deciding to get one last word in, "Craig you have to have a backup plan for if Clyde comes back and can't lead. Right now you're the only option."

Pretending he didn't hear her, Craig continued walking away until he opened up the tent they used as an infirmary of sorts. It was where Token lived and healed people being their only cleric to do the job. The tent also served as a pseudo temple for the gods. Craig didn't care much for them though so he thought of the tent more as an infirmary and Token's bed than anything else.

Walking in, Craig was happy to see it empty aside from Token. That meant that their round of hunting and scouting for food hadn't ended with anyone getting hurt. It'd happened a couple times. After all they'd set up camp near the castle for the reason that it had been overrun by large beasts and so the other humans and elves tried to not come to the area often. It kept them protected, but also offered danger for them. Having Token was a blessing merely for the fact that Token was able to patch people up and heal them without them having to wait for it to naturally happen. It helped keep deaths at a minimum.

"I'm going to make another dive tonight, will you be available?" Craig asked, not bothering with a "hi how're you."

Token just looked up at Craig and shook his head. "You can't do it tonight, I've got to go see the Warriors tonight."

The Warriors, a group of girls, human and elf, dedicated to protecting the forest of the Goddess. They'd defected from the two kingdoms for a higher calling and no longer participated in war unless it was for the purpose of self-defense. Craig had assumed perhaps that they would want to stop the fighting between the major kingdoms of the humans and the elves as much as he and the other did and had tried to talk to them, trying to convince them to help the cause. Unfortunately Craig was kind of shitty at talking to people especially when he was arguing with them and he'd been taught as a child to treat opposition hostilely.

That was were Token came in. He was much better at talking to people and much better tempered. Plus Craig had noticed in one of his meetings with the Warriors leader, Lady Wendy, that it seemed that she actually liked talking to Token and what kind of leader would Craig be if he didn't take advantage of that. It was either Token talking to the Warriors or sending Ruby their way and Craig wasn't entirely convinced Ruby would get out of there without starting a fight like him so Token was really the only good option.

"Okay then I'll do it with just Tweek and me it'll be fine," Craig said with a shrug.

Token just gave him a stern disapproving look. "And what will happen if you get hurt or something? Is Tweek going to magically learn healing magic on the spot to save your ass or will you just die and leave the camp without a strong leader?"

Craig rolled his eyes at Token, resisting the urge to tell the other to stop mothering him. "There's never been complications before, I'll be fine. Besides if I get hurt Tweek can run and get you. You know in his lion form he can run pretty fucking fast."

"Oh yeah that won't attract unwanted attention at all Craig, great plan there," Token replied, his arms crossing in front of him just completing the "you're an idiot child listen to mother" look.

Sighing, Craig looked away and said, "Fine then I'll die and you can take over or convince the Warriors to take over and it'll be okay. There easy now I'm going to go make sure that Tweek's free for doing a dive tonight." With that, Craig turned on his heel and left, not wanting to feel Token's judgmental eyes watching him anymore than he already had.

Finding Tweek was pretty easy, he was normally working with the food they'd gathered, sorting it and trying to preserve pieces with salt. He was the one who led a lot of the hunting after all so it only made sense that he would work on making sure it was in its proper place. Waving at Tweek as he walked up, Craig watched the male stop his work to watch Craig.

"Hey man, you good for another dive tonight?" Craig asked crossing his arms calmly.

Tweek nodded. "I- AGH. I am, but Token can't."

"I know he told me, we can do it just us though it'll be fine."

Craig didn't like the look Tweek gave him at that. The "you're trying to get me to side with you even though Token's upset" look that Tweek gave Craig often enough. So what if Craig ignored most of the advice that his friends gave him, he hadn't died yet had he?

"We've never had any issues with it before why would we now?" Craig said trying to defend his standpoint.

At Tweek shaking his head and going back to his work, Craig knew he'd won the battle. "I'll be ready at dusk."

A good thing about walking through the woods at night with Tweek was that he could see better than Craig could and that he was alert to anything that might happen by. A bad thing about it was Tweek was even more paranoid without a third person with them and continually told Craig how they should have waited for Token to be available to come with or how they should have brought Ruby with them. Craig continually assured Tweek they were going to be fine, but that didn't keep Tweek from practically hissing at every random loud noise.

Craig would've thought someone as attuned to nature as Tweek was would feel calmer and safer in nature, but apparently that just made Tweek all the more worried. Something about more places for people to hide and attack. Craig found that fact comforting in a way just because it meant that if he were there to steal something or kill someone it would be easy for a well-trained assassin like him, but he understood Tweek's concerns.

That was after all the only reason Craig didn't get pissed off about him telling Craig that they should have brought someone else along. As Craig pulled off his boots, he rolled his eyes against as Tweek started reminding him off the signals with the rope. Three pulls meant Craig need to come back up, one tug was asking if he was okay the response was one for no, two for yes. Craig would always have his knife on him in case he needed it. Craig knew all the codes because he'd made them up himself after his first dive hadn't gone that well and he'd never had a big issue.

Checking for his knife quickly, Craig waited for Tweek to finish double checking that the rope around his waist was secure. A downside to not having Token on the rope instead was that Craig was going to be able to expect a lot of checking in tugs. Craig didn't really mind that though. All he was doing was swimming as far down as he could to try and find the stick and it didn't require a lot of concentration so Tweek checking in was fine.

Craig checked the knot himself quickly before nodding to Tweek again to confirm the fact that he was okay and certain that it was going to be okay. Moving forward to the water, Craig was glad it was a warm night as the water hit his toes and didn't send a shiver up his spine for once. That was one of the issues with going down into the water. It got colder the farther Craig went and he was worried he wouldn't be able to make it back up if he went down too far. Token unfortunately wasn't able to do anything about it and no one in camp had very strong magic capabilities other than Token.

Sighing, Craig looked back at Tweek, gave the twitchy blonde a thumbs up before moving into the water quickly. Once he was in the middle of the lake, Craig took in a few breaths before plunging down into the water. The fact that it was warmer gave Craig a little hope that he would be able to get farther and maybe even collect the Stick that night. What a great night that would be if Craig were able to finally get the Stick back.

Swimming farther down, Craig found himself wishing for a way to see better down there. The water was pure enough that opening his eyes in it wasn't much of an issue, the issue came from the dark If Tweek didn't hate water and was able to dive it would have been better, but the dark was once again something that Token couldn't fix without being in the water. It was annoying.

Just as Craig kicked his feet to go farther, he felt a tug on the rope. Grabbing it to respond with two tugs, Craig was surprised to feel two more quick tugs on the rope. Keeping his grip on the rope, Craig started using it to come back up assuming that Tweek was keeping it taut so he could get back to the surface faster when the rope went slack suddenly.

Pulling his knife out of the sheath he had, Craig swam to the surface quickly, moving onto the shore and rubbing his eyes clear of the water. Once his eyes were clear, Craig came face to face with the end of a sword level with his nose.

"Nice of you to join us Feldspar. I believe you and your friend will be joining us back to the Elven kingdom, won't you?"

* * *

Author's Notes:

This fic will be slow to update and will later on feature violence, character death, and just general emotional and mental distress. This is just a fair warning for that later on. Thank you for reading. ^^

This fic is also on if you like that website more. Huge thanks to Nick for his help!


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